The Tampa Tribune - Coming Together for #CuresNow

Statement

By Gus Bilirakis

This year more than most, we hear complaints about Washington partisanship. Many issues divide Republicans and Democrats, but this week I participated in a bipartisan forum to highlight one very important issue that has brought us together: cancer.

Cancer does not discriminate. This debilitating disease affects millions of Americans, without regard for race, gender, socioeconomic status or party politics, which is why we are united in the fight against it.

According to the American Cancer Society, this year it is projected that there will be an estimated 1.6 million new cancer cases diagnosed and almost 600,000 cancer deaths in the U.S.

I am dedicated to changing these numbers.

Here in Florida, we are lucky to have the innovative Moffitt Cancer Center. I am thankful so many of my constituents have access to Moffitt -- the doctors, providers, researchers and staff there have helped to make Moffitt the leader in personalized medicine.

This week at the Moffitt Cancer Policy Forum, we had the opportunity to join many patients, advocates, researchers, and innovators who are working together to combat cancer. We discussed the progress, promise and pitfalls in the era of precision medicine.

Doctors and researchers shared how federally funded research is contributing to the groundbreaking cancer research happening at Moffitt and other institutions across the United States. I am proud to help support these efforts.

Last year, the Energy and Commerce Committee, on which I serve, worked together in a bipartisan manner to encourage innovation and further research to find cures for diseases like cancer.

Together, we developed the 21st Century Cures Act, which passed the House last year with 344 votes.

Cures was not only a bipartisan initiative; it was a grassroots effort. I hosted roundtables in my district to gather perspectives from local patients, families, doctors and researchers. At these events, and at events back in Washington, we discussed the many problems in our health care system with patients and professionals.

This bill, thanks to their help, addresses these problems.

The 21st Century Cures Act will improve our health care system by removing barriers health care professionals and academics are facing in the drug development process.

This legislation will incentivize public-private partnerships that accelerate medical research. It will encourage more research with the Innovation Fund to support scientists.

21st Century Cures emphasizes personalized medicine. My fellow Energy and Commerce colleagues traveled the country to gather ideas from patients and health care experts. We know each patient and each case is very different. Personalized care is crucial.

21st Century Cures also works to modernize clinical trials, an important weapon in the fight against cancer. The recent advances in technology, data analysis and personalized medicine can strengthen clinical trials, safely bringing more effective drugs and devices to patients more quickly and at lower costs.

We knew an NIH funding boost was crucial. And at the end of last year, Congress brought us one step closer to our goals by approving a $2 billion funding boost for NIH and a $133 million increase for FDA.

This increase in funds is important, but there is still more work to be done. We are encouraging our Senate colleagues to advance this bill for the millions of patients who need our help.

So many are joining this fight against cancer -- even the White House, which announced its "moonshot" initiative this year. The event this week allowed experts to share the advances they are seeing in the field. I am very optimistic for the future, and I will continue working with my colleagues across the aisle to get this done.

The real champions in this battle, though, are the individuals I have met along the way -- the patients who shared their personal stories, the researchers working to find new, innovative treatments, and the scientists helping to develop lifesaving drugs. I am so grateful for what they have done for millions of American families.

Cancer extinguishes all semblance of partisanship and requires us to join forces to combat this indiscriminate killer. I am proud to continue working on this important effort to find cures, not just with Republicans and Democrats, but with the entire health care community.

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